Sunday, March 1, 2009

I've been thinking a lot lately about keeping, or even finding, Sabbath. Our sermon at church on the first Sunday of Lent was about keeping Sabbath, and how that has kind of becoming a thing of the past. I've thought a lot about why that happens, especially for women. I wrote a really long-winded post about it, going back to my childhood even. But as I was typing I wondered what good might come of it. It seemed like I was griping, complaining, looking for a reason to blame anyone but myself for my lack of finding and keeping Sabbath in my life. I gave up talking about people for lent. I've become negative lately, at least it feels that way to me. I wasn't seeing God in those I interact with. I'm trying to do that as I wait for Easter, and strive to find Sabbath.

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."